


Mala

by icandrawamoth



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: F/M, Fusion of Star Wars Legends and Disney Canon, Gen, Lost Love, Memories, Past Relationship(s), Photographs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-04-01 08:50:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13994745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icandrawamoth/pseuds/icandrawamoth
Summary: Luke finds an old hologram of Wedge and asks about the decal on his helmet: "Mala."





	Mala

**Author's Note:**

> Like 100 words of this have been gathering dust on my phone since the promo for the Rebels episode where you first see said helmet came out and some genius on Tumblr pointed out the decal, and now I've *finally* finished it. XD

They're just killing time, Luke flipping through old holograms on Wedge's datapad as Wedge puts away uniforms that have come back from laundry when the blond looks up with an amused expression. “You never told me you were an A-wing pilot.”

Wedge leans in to look at the holo, a smile spreading across his face as he recognizes it: taken years ago, he and Hobbie posed in flight suits and helmets with the rest of Phoenix Squadron outside of Base One. “Really? It was first ship I flew after I defected. We didn't see X-wings for at least a year after that. Though, of course, the rest is history.” He trails off as he sees Luke leaning closer to the holo, squinting at something.

“Mala?” Luke asks quizically, and Wedge's stomach goes cold. “Your helmet says 'Mala.' What's that?”

Wedge's own eyes trace the Aurebesh stencilling on his younger self's gear. “It's a who. Mala Tinero. She was my girlfriend back on Gus Talon.”

Luke's eyebrows knit. “You've never mentioned her before.”

Wedge sighs and sits beside him on the bed. “It's not exactly a happy memory, in the end.”

“Oh. I'm sorry, I-”

Wedge waves his concern away. “It's fine. I don't talk about her, but...I probably could stand to.” His smile is self-deprecating. “In the interest of not keeping things bottled up and such.”

Luke watches him, lets him speak in his own time.

Wedge chews his lip for moment, then explains. “We were just kids. She was a member of the Rebellion, even then, and she didn't want me to go to the Academy, but she respected my choice. I never would've turned her or her father in, regardless of what happened. I was in love with her,” he says plainly. “I wanted to ask her to marry me after I'd graduated.”

“What happened?”

Wedge's voice goes bitter. “The Empire somehow found out about her cell. They bombarded the settlement and took most of the settlers prisoner. I was frantic searching the lists trying to find Mala's name, but it wasn't there. She was gone. It was the final push I needed to start actively looking for a way to defect.”

“I'm sorry.”

Wedge shrugs. “Everyone's lost someone.” It doesn't make it any easier to bear, even after five years, but he knows he isn't special. “I still miss her,” he admits. “Sometimes I try to tell myself we might not still be together. We might not even know each other. We were young.”

“You're still young, Wedge.”

Wedge smiles bitterly. “We're all older than the number of name days we've seen, Luke. You know that as well as anyone.”

The blond's fingers unconsciously drift to his prosthetic arm. Wedge watches, says nothing. “I suppose you're right,” Luke sighs finally. “But still. You can't know what would have happened. And I know you. I know what you're thinking – you can't know that things would have been different if you'd left sooner or never gone to the Academy at all.”

A smile ghosts across Wedge's face. Luke does know him. “And you can't know that it wouldn't have made a difference.”

“That's circular thinking,” Luke chides. “Anyway, I'm sorry I brought up painful memories, but I'm glad you told me.”

“Me, too,” Wedge says and finds he really means it. “A lot of times it hurts to remember, but I don't want to forget about her. She's a big part of how I become who I am today, and not just how she died.”

Luke claps him on the shoulder. “I guess we all have Mala to thank for that.”


End file.
